Current-regulating device



Dec. 1 1,520,793

R. 1.. YOUNG CURRENT REGULATING DEVICE Filed May 26, 1921 VOLT/7G5 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE.

ROWLAND L. YOUNG, OF EASTORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN TELE- PHONE AND TELEGRAPH COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CURRENT-REGULATING DEVICE.

Application filed May 26,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROWLAND L. YOUNG, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have in-- vented certain Improvements in Current- Regulating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to current regulating devices, and particularly to an arrangement for controlling the charging current of an electrical storage battery system.

It has been customary heretofore in the operation of certain apparatus connected with a telephone system to' use generators which were designed to give the required voltage for operating each particular type of apparatus. Apparatus of the type requiring close voltage regulation, of which message registers are an example, could not 2 be operated from the central ofiice battery, since the wide fluctuation in voltage from such source would seriously affect the operation of the registers. Furthermore, the use of motor generator sets for this purpose is undesirable in view of the high initial cost and maintenance charges upon such sets.

It is the object of this invention to provide a storage battery system which is adapted for the operation of message registers and similar apparatus, the voltage of which may be maintained withinvery close limits by means of a novel circuit for controlling automatically the charging current of the storage battery of the said system.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description when read in connection with the attached drawing, showing one form of embodiment of the 1n- 40 vention.

In the drawing,-B indicates a storage battery, having a normal potential of 39 1921. Serial No. 472,798.

of 48 volts that furnishes the talking energy pf the system. This battery is normally connected with the battery B through the rheostat 1 which permits a small predetermined amount of current to flow continuously into the battery 13,. Connected across the output side of the battery B is a voltmeter-relay 4 having a winding 5 and armature 6 adapted to swing between its contacts 7 and 8. The armature 6 is connected to a point 17 of the potentiometer 9, comprising a plurality of resistance elements a, b, c and d which are connected in series he tween-the 2 k volt battery B and the ground 10. A relay 11, which operates when the armature 6 completes a circuit through contact 7, is designed to control the operation of the switching relay 12, whereby a second path for current flow is provided from battery B through rheostat 13 and the contacts of relay 12 for the purpose of increasing the charging current through battery B,. A message register 14 is connected in parallel with relay 12 to indicate and record the number of times the said relay has operated. A relay 15, which operates when the armature 6 completes a circuit through contact 8, is designed to release the controlrelay 11 when the'potential of battery B reaches its predetermined up or limit as the result of the flow of charging current from the battery B through rheostat 13. Although in the description of the system definite voltages have been assigned to the various batteries associated with the system, it is to be understood that these values are purely illustrative, and that the invention is not limited to the use of these voltages but that other and different voltages may be used -without changing the scope of the invenvolts, which is designed to furnish energy.

for the proper operation of the message 45 register 3, which operation is dependent upon close voltage regulation. Although the term message register is applied to the apparatus connected with the output circuit of the source B it' is to be understood that 50 the invention is not limited to any particular type of load, but may be used in connection with any type of load that requires close voltage regulation. B represents the source of charging current as, for example, 55 the central office battery having a potential tion.

Having in mind the foregoing description of the various devices shown in the drawing, the invention will be apparent from the following description of the circuit in which this apparatus is embodied.

Letit be assumed that the battery B is receiving current from the battery B through the rheostat 1, which is sufiicient in magnitude to maintain the charge of the battery B so that its voltage will not drop below a certain predetermined value for a light load. As the load increases, the current drain upon the battery B will consequently increase and its voltage will drop. .This drop in potential will permit the armature 6 of the voltmeter-relay 4 to close the circuit through contact 7, which will cause the operation of relay 11. It will be seen that when contact 7 .is closed, the winding of relay 11' is bridged across the resistance element (1, which comprises one of the units of potentiometer 9, and the current for the operation of relay 11 results from the drop in potential through the element 11 of the curlay 12 will permit the flow of current from battery B through rheostat 13 and the multiple contacts of relay 12 to the batte; 13,, which will increase in magnitude the c r 1ging current applied to the latter battery.

When the battery B, has been charged sd that its Voltage reaches a predetermined upper limit, the armature 6 of relay 4 will close a circuit through its contact 8. \Vhen contact 8 is closed winding 15 is bridged across the resistance elements 0 of the potentiometer 9, and, consequently, current will flow through the winding of the said relay over conductor 23 and through contact 8, thereby energizing relay 15. Contact 19, which is in the holding circuit of relay 11, will be opened, and, consequently, relay 11 will be deenergized. The opening of contact 22 of relay 11 will release relay 12, which, by the opening of .its contacts, prevents the further flow of current from the battery B, through rheostat 13 to the battery 13,. -VVh0n the voltage acrossthe output circuit of the battery B, drops below its upper predetermined limit, the armature 6 will move away from its contact 8 in the direction of contact 7 and will make connection with contact 7 when the voltage reaches the predetermined lower limit of the outputvoltage of the battery 13,. Y I

It will be se"n that the invention disclosed in the foregoing description and in the drawing comprises a battery charging system characterized by automatically controlled switching means wherein the charging rate is governed by. the limiting voltages of the batteryto be charged. The invention is also characterized by the inclusion of positive means for controlling the switches that connect the charging source with the battery to be charged and is further characterized by the inclusion of posi claims.

ti ve means for effecting the release of the said: controlling means when the battery has been charged to its upper limit.

1 Although this invention has been disclosed in a' definite form and arrangement of parts, it is apparent that it is not so limited, but iscapable of embodiment in other forms and arrangements without departing fromthel'spirit and scope of the appended adaptedv to govern the operation of said switching means, voltage responsive means connected with the output circuit of said battery adapted to operate and lock up the said control relay and a release relay also controlled by the said voltage responsive means to effect the deenergization of the said control relay.

t 2. In a battery charging system, the combination with a battery of a source of chargin current normally connected with the said battery through a path of predetermiried resistance, a voltage responsive devicet fconnected with the output circuit of the said battery, a switching relay to connect the said source with the said battery through a second path of different resistance from the said first ath, a control relay controlled by the sald voltage responsive device to operate and lock up the said switching relay, and a release relay controlled by the said voltage responsive device to release the switching relay when the output voltage of the said battery reaches a predetermined value.

3. In a battery charging system, the combination with a battery of aload requiring close voltage regulation, a source of charging current having a plurality of output circuits one of which is normally effectively connected with the said battery, switching means adapted to connect the other of said output circuits to the said battery, a control relay adapted to govern the operation of the said switching means, voltage responsive means connected with the output circuit of thesaid battery adapted to operate and lock up the said control relay, and a release rclay also controlled b the said voltage responsive means to e ect the deenergization of the said controlrela In testimony whereog I have signed my name to this specification this twenty-fourth day of May, 1921.

. ROWLAND L. YOUNG. 

